Rex Manukau Flying School

[gtw]

Feb 28, 2023 22:11:11 GMT 12 Peter Lewis said:

Up until the early 1960s (someone will correct me if I'm wrong with this date) pilots who trained with aero clubs could get a refund of part of their costs from the Government.
Thus any commercial flying school could not compete.
As far as I can tell, the original iteration of the Auckland Flying School Ltd dates from around 1963. Jim Bergman was behind this business. AFS is listed in the 1964 edition of Whites, with a fleet of two C150s and a 172.
He expanded into the Paraparaumu-based Central Flying School Ltd and Christchurch Flying School Ltd. and a bit later the Palmerston North Flying School.
NZ Aerosales run by Paul Legge then set up a flying school around 1965 at Paraparaumu as an add-on to their aircraft sales buiness.
The earliest date I can find for the Ardmore Flying School is 1974, but Liz could have been leasing aircraft from other operators prior to that time.

You are correct, 1961 Wanganui club ,we got our Instructed time paid for. As I had past 2 exams mine help pay for flying fees.
I was a part time instucter and Para drop pilot from Oct to first week of Dec 1963. with Jim Bergman.

[ja1250]

Mar 4, 2023 17:48:49 GMT 12 gtw said:

Feb 28, 2023 22:11:11 GMT 12 Peter Lewis said:

Up until the early 1960s (someone will correct me if I'm wrong with this date) pilots who trained with aero clubs could get a refund of part of their costs from the Government.
Thus any commercial flying school could not compete.
As far as I can tell, the original iteration of the Auckland Flying School Ltd dates from around 1963. Jim Bergman was behind this business. AFS is listed in the 1964 edition of Whites, with a fleet of two C150s and a 172.
He expanded into the Paraparaumu-based Central Flying School Ltd and Christchurch Flying School Ltd. and a bit later the Palmerston North Flying School.
NZ Aerosales run by Paul Legge then set up a flying school around 1965 at Paraparaumu as an add-on to their aircraft sales buiness.
The earliest date I can find for the Ardmore Flying School is 1974, but Liz could have been leasing aircraft from other operators prior to that time.

You are correct, 1961 Wanganui club ,we got our Instructed time paid for. As I had past 2 exams mine help pay for flying fees.
I was a part time instucter and Para drop pilot from Oct to first week of Dec 1963. with Jim Bergman.

[ja1250]

Yes, I remember Rex Manukau well.
I learned to Fly at Rex Flying school in 1971,and was sent solo by the CFI Mike Foster.
My Instructor was the late John deRidder.

In 1974, Rex Flying school merged with Manuaku Flying school, owned by Bryan Cox (and a partner?) and became Rex Manukau Flying school.
Lyn Giles-Pain, Judy Costello and George Ingram were other instructors i recall. Lyn was an excellent instructor.
Rex-manukau introduced the Cessna 177, 206 and 207.
Bryan bought a piper cub,which was popular,and Warren Sattler joined the instructing staff,but i cant recall when.
(the current Manukau flying school is not related to the former one)

It was later bought by Dalhoff and King, then by Motor Holdings Ltd, before morphing into its final Incarnation , as Flightline aviation.
Gordon Vette took over as CFI at some stage,as did MarkCarter, but i dont remember when,  and it was Gordon and Bryan, who convinced me to become an instructor, which i did, for many enjoyable years.

These were the golden years of GA in NewZealand, the 1970s to the 1990s.

Cheers

[kevsmith]

I remember the Govt. contribution on gaining a PPL was £60 and had to be processed/certified through the Aero Club. Certainly was available in mid 1961 but I don’t remember when it was terminated. The hourly rates at the Auckland Aero Club back then for a PA18 were £5 dual and £3.6.0 solo.

[thomarse]

Mar 19, 2023 17:13:05 GMT 12 kevsmith said:

I remember the Govt. contribution on gaining a PPL was £60 and had to be processed/certified through the Aero Club. Certainly was available in mid 1961 but I don’t remember when it was terminated. The hourly rates at the Auckland Aero Club back then for a PA18 were £5 dual and £3.6.0 solo.

That's interesting - and flying must have become a lot cheaper in the 60s as pre-D.C.Day in 1967 I was paying £5 dual for a Victa 100 at Wellington Aero Club

[Dave Homewood]

Mar 20, 2023 11:33:37 GMT 12 thomarse said:

Mar 19, 2023 17:13:05 GMT 12 kevsmith said:

I remember the Govt. contribution on gaining a PPL was £60 and had to be processed/certified through the Aero Club. Certainly was available in mid 1961 but I don’t remember when it was terminated. The hourly rates at the Auckland Aero Club back then for a PA18 were £5 dual and £3.6.0 solo.

That's interesting - and flying must have become a lot cheaper in the 60s as pre-D.C.Day in 1967 I was paying £5 dual for a Victa 100 at Wellington Aero Club

Bryan Cox told me that in the 1970s and 80s the competition between flying schools at Ardmore had forced the prices that schools were charging down to the bare minimum to be able to stay stay afloat. He said his school charged just $11.00 an hour for flight training. Meanwhile he and his wife Wynn would just be able to get by on the money they made, and often struggled to buy the weekly groceries. He said he lived on a lot of sandwiches and soup. And he was the CFI!

[FlyingKiwi]

Mar 19, 2023 15:41:59 GMT 12 ja1250 said:

Yes, I remember Rex Manukau well.
I learned to Fly at Rex Flying school in 1971,and was sent solo by the CFI Mike Foster.
My Instructor was the late John deRidder.

In 1974, Rex Flying school merged with Manuaku Flying school, owned by Bryan Cox (and a partner?) and became Rex Manukau Flying school.
Lyn Giles-Pain, Judy Costello and George Ingram were other instructors i recall. Lyn was an excellent instructor.
Rex-manukau introduced the Cessna 177, 206 and 207.
Bryan bought a piper cub,which was popular,and Warren Sattler joined the instructing staff,but i cant recall when.
(the current Manukau flying school is not related to the former one)

It was later bought by Dalhoff and King, then by Motor Holdings Ltd, before morphing into its final Incarnation , as Flightline aviation.
Gordon Vette took over as CFI at some stage,as did MarkCarter, but i dont remember when,  and it was Gordon and Bryan, who convinced me to become an instructor, which i did, for many enjoyable years.

These were the golden years of GA in NewZealand, the 1970s to the 1990s.

Cheers

Both Mike Foster and Warren Sattler are still instructing at Ardmore, I wouldn't be surprised if they're closing in on 40,000 hours if not already there - Warren in particular I hear flying seemingly almost all day every day.

[chrisstark]

I see a comment on heŕe about Ardmore Flying Schòol starting in 1974 or thereabouts. Actually it was started by my husband Kelvin Stark and myself in 1969/1970. We bought Cherokee ZKCIP and hired a few other aircraft, a C180 in particular. I was working in the control tower at the time with Vic Roberts, Howard Monk and a few others. We sold the school in 1973 to Jeff Turner who then sold it to Liz Needham. It's wonderful to see it still so successful.
Chris Stark